MAYOR Bill Trite of Swanage is reported (Daily Echo, January 5) as expressing concerns over the proposed Navitus Bay scheme.

What a shame the good people of Swanage are more concerned about their view than the disastrous future ahead for the world’s citizens.

Disconnected Treasury policies are still giving tax breaks to the oil and gas industries including now generous deals for shale despite many concerns over chemicals, water pollution and earth movements. Energy intensive industries (eg steel, cement) are also being handsomely compensated and apparently folks from dirty fossil industries are actually being paid to work at the Department of Energy.

Even new nuclear with complex contracts looks as if it’s effectively being subsidised and environmental damage is not yet factored into costs. This at a time when various, even orthodox, organisations are warning about increasing climate impacts everywhere (eg the recent World Bank report Turn Down the Heat). “The Climate Emperor is naked,” warns Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre. The International Energy Agency warns that energy systems need to change.

In the meantime, funding is cut for flood defences as our weather gets wetter and from June this year there will be a free market for flood insurance leading to many thousands of homes becoming totally uninsurable.

Last year’s rainfall has cost farmers here £1.3billion and extreme conditions are set to continue with frightening warnings about food security in the challenging global climate.

Climate change and fiscal cliffs may be dull but need to be attended to: they are the failures of complex systems which affect us all.

M Jacques (Daily Echo, January 4) voices concern about minerals and rare earths used in turbine manufacture and transport.

This is indeed something to worry about for all modern gadgetry and we should be keeping up the pressure for improved standards as technology develops.

None of it is yet perfect but better to put in the greener infrastructure than, as Prince Charles has just warned, leaving a legacy of degradation – “total poisoned chalice” – for our grandchildren.

SUSAN CHAPMAN, Parkwood Road, Southbourne